Hospitality Management - Math Problem Example

Heading: Hospitality Management Questions Your name Course name Professors’ name Date: Question 1 Hospitality industry involves provision of personalised services that require personal interactions between the host/server and the guest. This relationship is cultural and social therefore requires that the service providers in the hospitality industry are well versed with social and vocational aspects of his/her role. Hospitality varies with cultures and traditions consequently requiring that hospitality service vendors be able to responsive to various clients’ cultures in a way that will enhance the hospitality services offered. Hospitality management education therefore should be able to incorporate a wider social science disciplines in their curriculum so that it can enhance and develop the capacity of the trainees in understanding different cultures (Yu 1999). This can help in developing proactive management approaches that will facilitate effective management and offer of competitive services. The appreciation of social sciences as being a contributor to development of analytical skills that are required for effective management of any successful commercial hospitality enterprise requires that it is incorporated in the hospitality education curriculum as a fundamental foundation. Inclusion of social science in hospitality management will also ensure enhanced cognition of the wider view of the hospitality industry as a multicultural sector. Social sciences also will provides a much more understanding of the vocational aspects of the industry since it provides the historical growth of the industry (Barrows & Bosselman 1999). This will induce the students in the area to think creatively in order to develop innovations required to fast track the industry growth. Question 2 The etymology of hospitality has clearly indicated a clear relationship between stranger/guest and enemy. In essence, the development of the industry is much more built around this relationship. Most etymological studies reveal that stranger/ guest and enemy had similar meaning. The Greeks xenos phobos meaning fear of strangers but xenos alone meant guest/ host or stranger. Thus the fear of strangers founded the development of hospitality industry. In ancient time visitors were treated with utmost care since they were unknown neither their intentions easily deciphered. With no clarity of the identities and intentions of the strangers, the host always was extra cautious with regard to the relations with the strangers having in mind their potential espionage intentions from their enemies. Strangers were associated with the gods and magical powers. Most ancient societies believed that the gods always interacted with them through strangers hence they were extremely careful in the treatment they accorded to strangers. Most societies believed that strangers if not treated with decorum, could cast an evil spell on them and on the contrary they could as well be a blessing on them. Question 3 Ancient hospitality and sex were intertwined, with this kind of historical background; contemporary hospitality service needs to clarify its relations with sex. Sex between female host and the male guests is viewed as being morally uncouth. Most of the service providers in hospitality industry are women since the nature of services offered requires a feminine approach. This is because it involves provision of food, welcoming visitors and companionship. There are a lot of misconceptions in the process of offering these services by women since some are personalised to an extent that their male guests could misconstrue a potential offer for sex. In the process of the kindness and other service encounters, male guests should be able to know that the ambience being provided to them is just part of the hotel service (Harrinton 2007). Hospitality industry find it had to distance itself with sex since most of their client do engage in sex in their own premises not necessarily with their female hosts but amongst themselves. Since this is a perceived happening especially when couples spend in a hotel room or a holiday resort, there is a misconception that the hospitality industry does promote sex in their premises. But Hospitality management cannot interfere so much with personal privacy. The services of commercial hospitality are ambience, nice food and kindness. These are services which partners of human relations do value for their enjoyment consequently they form a bigger clientele to the hospitality consumer base. This creates a perception of sexual promotion and promiscuity being associated with the hospitality services. For example couples do go for honeymoon and holidays in hospitality industry players (Cummings & Kwansa 1998). In a nutshell, hospitality and sex are related but sex is not one of the services offered in the hospitality enterprise. Since the hospitality clientele are human beings, sexual relationship amongst humans is always an area of privacy and most people should not misunderstand the hospitableness of staff in the industry as an additional sexual service. Question 4 Hospitality services originally were purposed to be free since they involve personal values of generosity, desire to please and high regard to the guests (Bivan 2004). Traditional hospitality was therefore offered as a moral obligation to the guest in households. Commodification and commercialization of these services has consequently been a source of tensions between hosts and the guests. Arguments for commodification Economic rationalization in order to maximize profits is usually making guest feel exploited just for commercial services especially where food rations are valued to the smallest units. Hosts focus will be on profitability while the guests will be driven by value for their money and therefore creating a conflict of interest. Timing for service provisions makes the guests feel that they are not being treated well. This is necessary for proper service delivery by the hotel management but the guest’s perception of being free to enjoy in uncontrolled environment results in a conflict. Against The hosts have invested in the hospitality service provision while the guest is in need of these services. Both of them therefore are interdependent hence there is need for their mutual respect and understanding. The relationship is usually voluntary. The decision of the guest to look for hospitality services is personal and voluntary. The preparedness of the hotel also in the hospitality service provision is also voluntary. This makes the relationship based on two willing partners and hence no need for tensions especially where both parties are playing their roles well. Question 5 Hospitality industry is also affected by globalization just like other economic sectors. Hospitality being a unique service industry has had varied impacts since it is a sector with varied consumer interests which at times are very individualistic and competing. Experimental view of consumption argues that sensational seeking aspects of the consumers should be considered in any inquiry into consumption of hospitality services. The view also proposes that issues like desire for creativity, novelty and religious world view do also have great impact on consumption. All these issues put together brings out the differentiation inherent in the hospitality even though globalisation exists. The need to experience change and also escape from routine boredom brings out a wide range of differentiation of the food consumption in the industry. These are subjective aspects of the consumers that will require dynamism in responding to it by the industry consequently leading differentiated products in hospitality industry. The individual consumers need to experience dreams and aspirations made real do make them have varied needs consequently leading to differentiation. Different cultural backgrounds of the industry customers call for the differentiation of food consumptions and even the hotel services. No one hospitality firm can satisfy the whole range of the consumers because of the multicultural background of the consumers. Need to have a sense of community in the global arena is one aspect that tries to bring the homogeneity in the food consumption. The contemporary professionalization and commodification of the hospitality services also do bring in aspects of homogeneity of food consumption. The global education networking and exchange of ideas also supports the homogeneity in the hospitality industry. Question 6 Management responsibility is almost similar in all organisations but hospitality industry due to its unique services needs a dynamic manager ready to enhance the service encountering and commercial needs of the industry. Functional managers, business unit mangers and even the hospitality project managers need a thorough background of the industry so as to appreciate that services and products provided by the industry need novelty and highest level innovation. On the case of an operations manager, creativity coupled with analytical skills relevant to the hospitality industry is a necessary asset in enabling the manager to develop plans that will place the hospitality firm on the top niche of the industry competitiveness. With the market dynamics and varied tastes in the hospitality industry trends analysis and profitability projections need proper judgements supported by analytical skills (Mullins 2001). People’s skills of the communication and rewarding are also crucial for the manager. This position involves not only interaction with the staff but also the customers/guests in the hospitality firm. Without effective communication skills, organising and control of the staff will not be enhanced yet this is an invaluable management responsibility necessary for successful service delivery. People’s skills also do facilitate marketing responsibility of the manager since it enhances persuasion. Team player and leadership are also very necessary attributes in a manager. The complex bureaucratic approach to management is not relevant in the hospitality industry since the hospitableness needs to be exuded in the host’s staff. The manager should be an example of required hospitableness and also do impart the same to the other staff. Question 7 Performance in literature relates to a scenario where a person acts the personality of another person. The actor has his/her own character therefore whatever he does in the play and on the stage is based on another character. Hospitality industry requires that guests should feel that the hosts desire to please, generosity and appreciation. This makes it necessary that the host fits into this guest’s expectation by being charming in their communication, delighting the guests and exuding positive emotions. Hospitality service therefore requires that the hosts’ staff feel some emotions that do not necessarily feel on their individual capacities or display of certain impression at certain times (Hjalager & Richards 2002). Hospitality staffs are required by their work to perform certain roles that are deemed necessary by the organisation as part of the services given to the clients. As an example, smiling to a client instead of greeting is sometimes required of the receptionist so as to exude the feeling of friendliness to the guest. The whole of hospitality has been role played and therefore the grooming style, physical movement and speech are all intended to attract and charm the guests. Literature and hospitality are therefore sharing a platform of role playing in their services but while hospitality refers to it as service encounters in their premises, literature refers to it as performance done at stage. Question 8 Customer expectations do vary with cultural background hence necessary appreciation of their background would enhance the host’s service encounter with that customer. If the hosts provide a service or even other hospitality products to a customer without understanding his cultural background, tendencies of dissatisfaction by the customer may be created. Culture does affect much of an individual’s social habits including greetings style, thoughts, emotions and even food preferences. Some cultures do appreciate some roles like subordination of those serving them while others require a formal approach. Other cultures do not require long greeting and socialising as part of their hospitality service while others prefer short greetings (This 2009). This cultural effect requires that the hosts do vary their role play according to the cultural background of the guests. Question 9 Reception work has been depicted as feminine and this has lead to women taking this role since time in memorial. In reality there are male receptionists currently in the hospitality industry making the assertion that it is a feminine responsibility fail the test of time. The reception work requires display of some feminine attributes like warmth, kindness, generosity, politeness and empathy. This characteristic even though feminine can be role played by a person of either gender unless there were intentions to attract male guests only ( Kandampully, Mok & Sparks 2001). Women can be good receptionist as regards playing the more feminine roles are concern but also contemporary receptionist sometimes have to role play toughness especially where the gate keeping role do arise. The receptionist role has historically been allocated to women but in actual sense it is a service practise that can be acted by either gender. The core responsibility of pleasing and interfacing between the guest and the management requires that the right organisation picture is displayed and not any genders’ roles. Question 10 Hospitality industry is one of the industries that do experience rapid changes in their customer needs and by the year 2020 many changes will be experienced. Innovations to sustain a firm in hospitality business are required. This will include technologies enhance efficient customer service. This will include ecommerce solution that will deliver services to the customers at their homes and can be able to book and pay for their services. Food and beverages preparation is anticipated to be more personalised to and prolongs the client’s needs more interactive communications with the chef (Gilliespie & Cousin 2003). This calls for technologies that will facilitate this communication and also products that allow customers to experience such services. Entertainment will be more personalised and the entertainment products should be differentiated so that a guest may have a wide range of choices. Security will be enhance and the hospitality industry should not only capitalised on advanced security system but also should be ready to guard customer privacy as much as security system will be having logs of what’s going in the hospitality firm premises. References Barrows,W & Bosselman, R 1999, Management Education, Routledge, Melbourne. Bivan, D 2004, Literary Gastronomy: Perspective on modern literature vol 1, Rodopi, Amsterdam. Cummings, P & Kwansa, F 1998, The role of the hospitality industry in the lives of individuals and families, Routledge, Melbourne. Gilliespie, C & Cousin JA 2003, European gastronomy into the 21st century, Butterworth-Heinemann, Prague. Harrinton, R 2007, Food and Wine Pairing: A Sensory Experience, John Wiley and Sons, Canberra. Hjalager, A, M & Richards, G 2002, Tourism and gastronomy: Routledge advances in Tourism, Routledge, Melbourne. Mullins, L 2001, Hospitality management and organisational behaviour. Longman. London This, H 2009, Building a Meal: From Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary Constructivism, Columbia University Press, Paris. Kandampully, P, Mok, C & Sparks, B 2001, Service quality management in hospitality, tourism, and leisure, Routledge, Melbourne. Yu, L 1999, The international hospitality business: management and operations, Routledge, Melbourne. Read More